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ADK's Professional Trail Crew

2009 Pro Trail Crew

The ADK Professional Trail Crew (Pro Crew) Program is based on a strong tradition of resource protection through quality trail work, education, and adherence to traditional tools and skills passed down through the years. Since 1978, the crew has grown from one paid worker to 16, and has maintained its focus on the most remote and heavily damaged trails of the Adirondack and Catskill regions of New York State. The majority of the trail work completed by the Pro Crew is in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Above: 2009 Professional Trail Crew members show their enthusiasm for trail work. Below left: Off to work on Prospect Mountain, Lake George.  Below right: New Browns Brook Bridge on Northville-Placid Trail.

Based at the Wiezel Trails Cabin (built with donated funds and volunteer labor in 1991) at Heart Lake Program Center, the crew currently works a 44-hour work, Friday-Wednesday morning with a mid-season break, and is broken into three or four crews. Heading into the woods on Friday, the crew packs into remote locations and sets up camp near the project site. Using hand tools and working both as a team and individually, the crew performs intensive trail reconstruction using primarily native materials. Tuesday afternoon the crew returns to the cabin and on Wednesday morning completes chores on the cabin, tools, equipment, and vehicles. The regular season begins in early June and commences later in August with the opportunity to stay on and work through the fall for those not returning to school or other commitments.

Crew Structure                                  

Off to workCrew Boss: This position is responsible for the entire crew and directly supervises the crew leaders during the day-to-day operation of the program. In addition the crew boss is the direct link between the trails coordinator and subsequently the trails office. The crew boss has at least three (but typically more) seasons of proven leadership and trail skills. The Crew Boss sets the tone and acts as the “go-to” person for most of the crew's needs.


Crew Leaders: If the Crew Boss is the head of the crew, the Leaders are the backbone. Leaders make sure that expectations are met on projects and that crew members are not only pulling their weight, but also learning the necessary skills in the process. Leaders have at least two seasons of experience and are enthusiastic and committed to the program.

Crew Members: The muscle of the program, crewmembers have from one to three seasons of trails experience and typically range in age from 16 to the early 20s. Most are in college, some are juniors or seniors in high school, but all are looking for a physically and mentally demanding position for the summer. The Adirondacks is a unique and challenging place to learn trail skills. That being the case, our members make the best leaders. On average two-thirds of the crew returns each season, so it’s apparent that they enjoy their work. Many of our first year members have already been involved in our volunteer trails program or as a volunteer in other trails-related settings.

Browns Brook Bridge2009 Accomplishments

Our 16 person professional trail crew logged over 9,600 hours working on trails throughout the Adirondack and the Catskill parks. Their accomplishments include

  • 149 miles of trail “patrolled” (all drainage cleared, all blowdown removed) with 1,197 blowdown removed.          

  • 55 rock water bars, 5 wood water bars, and 47 earthen water bars.

  • 1,212 cubic feet of stone retaining wall.

  •  74 miles of side cutting completed.

  • 8.4 miles of new trail constructed. 

Interested in working on the ADK professional trail crew? Click here for the job posting or here for an application. Read the article about the crew in Backpacker Magazine.